Organic farming

• MCLEAN, Va., Oct. 07, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Gladstone Land Corporation (Nasdaq: LAND) (Gladstone Land or the Company) announced that it has acquired approximately 3,850 acres of farmland located in Hayes and Hitchcock Counties, Nebraska, for approximately $14.7 million.
• The farms currently grow corn, soybeans, and edible beans, and both farms will be converted into organic farmland by 2021.
• This is an exciting acquisition for us, said Bill Hughes, Managing Director of Gladstone Land.
• We are entering a new farming region in the U.S. and beginning a new tenant relationship with Granstrom Farms, one of the leading organic growers in Nebraska.

• The "Organic Dairy - Global Market Outlook (2017-2026)" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.
• The Global Organic Dairy market accounted for $18 billion in 2017 and is expected to reach $41 billion by 2026, growing at a CAGR of 9.6% during the forecast period.
• Technological advancements for developing innovative products and governments of numerous countries are encouraging organic farming practices are some of the key driving factors for the market growth.
• Some of the key players profiled in the Organic Dairy include Whole Foods Market, Wallaby Yogurt Company Inc, Stonyfield Farm Inc., Purity Foods Inc., Organic Valley, Kroger, Horizon Organic, BJ's Wholesale Club, Ben & Jerry's Homemade Inc., Aurora Organic Dairy and Arla Foods A.M.B.A.

Truly Organic? The FTC Says No, Alleges Retailer Misled Consumers about Its Products

Bath and beauty retailer to pay $1.76 million to settle Commission allegations

• Miami Beach-based retailer Truly Organic Inc. (Truly Organic) and its founder and CEO, Maxx Harley Appelman, will pay $1.76 million to settle a Federal Trade Commission complaint alleging that their nationally marketed bath and beauty products are neither 100% organic nor certified organic by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
• Truly Organic also advertises their products as vegan, even though certain products contain non-vegan ingredients like honey and lactose, according to the complaint.
• The court order resolving the FTC complaint bars the defendants from making similar deceptive advertising claims.
• Thats why well hold companies accountable when they lie about their products being organic, especially when theyve used fake certificates and ignored USDA warnings.
• The company also sells through third-party websites, such as ulta.com, urbanoutfitters.com, nordstrom.com, and aerie.com, and provides third parties with marketing materials used to market and sell Truly Organic products.
• These statements include claims that Truly Organic products contain 100% Organic Ingredients, are certified organic, are USDA .
• Further, some Truly Organic products incorporate non-organic ingredients that could be organically sourced, such as non-organic lemon juice.
• Other Truly Organic products contain non-organic ingredients that the USDA does not even allow in organic handling, such as the chemicals cocamindopropyl betaine and sodium cocosurfactant.
• Stipulated final orders have the force of law when approved and signed by the District Court judge.

Deceptive “certified organic” claims leave consumers verklempt

• But even after USDA told Truly Organic that its products weren’t certified organic, the company continued its pattern of deception. According to the FTC:
  • Truly Organic falsified USDA certification by taking a document issued to another company, erasing that name, and adding its own. Truly Organic then provided the bogus certification to third parties as purported proof for its “certified organic” claims.
  • Truly Organic gave product samples to marketers and online influencers that had labels featuring false certifications.
  • Truly Organic uploaded to its YouTube channel videos from influencers continuing to make the false “certified organic,” “USDA organic,” and “vegan” claims.
  • Truly Organic’s website continued to incorporate the statement “100% Organic Ingredients – Truly Organic” in its metadata. (That didn’t stop until FTC staff contacted the company in May 2019.)
  • According to an FTC lawsuit, many of the personal care products a Miami company advertised as certified organic were neither certified nor organic.
  • According to the complaint, the defendants represented that their products were wholly organic or certified organic in compliance with the United States Department of Agricultures National Organic Program, a federal program that enforces national standards for organically-produced agricultural products.
  • Truly Organic hammered home the organic theme, describing its shampoos, lotions, baby products, etc., as certified organic, 100% organic, USDA organic, and USDA certified organic.
  • Despite those claims, much of what Truly Organic sold as organic contained ingredients that truly werent organic.
  • Indeed, none of Truly Organics products has ever been certified organic in compliance with the USDA National Organic Program.
  • In the meantime, USDA took a closer look at the companys claims and on June 16, 2016, issued a Notice of Warning confirming that Truly Organic is not a certified organic operation, but represented its products as such on product labels and company website.
  • However, the USDA closed its investigation based on an understanding that the company had taken action to discontinue representing [their] products as certified organic.
  • In addition to a $1.7 million financial remedy, the settlement prohibits the defendants from misrepresenting that a product is wholly or partially organic, uses organic ingredients, is certified organic, is vegan, or has been evaluated by a third party.